United colours of Holi

Indians celebrate the festival of colours - Holi - on campus

Holi is a festival of India that is celebrated with colours. The festival marks the start of harvesting of crops. On a parallel note, it is also a festival of friendship - when people forget their past differences and meet and greet each other by applying colours to each other.
It was an unexpected plan - Amol and Radha beat us to be the first ones. We had planned that we would colour them first as it was their maiden Holi after marriage. From our apartment, the next target was Rajeev and Shweta - who also celebrated their first Holi after marriage. Then the journey began. From Rajeev's place to Bala, to Himanshu, Kartik, Subhash, Arvind and to Tejas's house. It was like a caravan which kept increasing in size with all of us applying colours to each other every now and then, trying to create patterns on the faces that looked clean. As if not satisfied with this, Varinder and Jeeva was also roped in and they got their share of colours.

The festival took an international turn when Kaifeng (China), Ian (Britain) and Alex (Peru) were joined in. Greg (France) was excused as his dad was walking with him but Veronica's (Mexico) jogging turned into a sprint as Jeeva tried to leave traces of our festival upon her. Better luck next time, Jeeva!
For the benefit of those who may still be groping with what this festival is all about, here is an excerpt:

Holi is the most colourful festival of the Hindus and falls on the Full moon day in the month of Phalgun according to the Hindu Calendar which is the month of March as per the Gregorian Calendar. This Holi festival has many elements of primitive and prolific rites and reveries that have defied civilisation and prudery. During the three days of this festival, particularly the whole country, towns, cities and villages - go gay with merry makers, streets, parks and public places are crowded with people, daubed in diverse colours, looking funny and ridiculous. Children and youngsters vie with each other in being original and use fast and sticky colours. It is all a mirthful abandon for them.

On the eve of Holi, huge bonfires are lit with logs of wood, basketful of cowdung cakes, ghee, honey and the new crop brought fresh from the fields. When the fire leaps up in high and strong flames all those present, walk around the bonfire seven times, pray and invoke the blessings of Agnidev. Women prepare delicious sweets and put in the bonfire as "Naivedya" to Agnidev. When the fire lies down, water is splashed on the embers and the ash from the extinguished fire is applied on the forehead by everyone. Some of the ash is preserved in the house all through the year to apply to the foreheads of children as an effective remedy against any impending evil.
This festival of Holi - a festival of myriad colours, of gaiety, of friendships and re-unions all over the country. Thus Holy is certainly a vital part of our Indian life and culture in which religion still is a living force.